Wednesday 30 September 2009

Feature in Italian paper.

We have been kindly sponsored and supported by:


Mayo Wynne Baxter
01273 477071
Mayo Wynne Baxter is one of the leading law firms
in the South East with offices throughout Sussex.


&





Gossypium is a leading brand in Fairtrade-certified organic cotton fashion:
  • All our products are Fairtrade & organic - we're the real thing
  • We only use good quality cotton; organic, pure & strong
  • We are responsible for how our products are made
  • The eco-system & environment are never far from our thoughts
  • We're independent: working together as a family - in business
www.gossypium.co.uk

&



(click image to expand)


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Located in the south lanes close to the seafront Terre à Terre is one of Brighton's leading
restaurants and continuously retaining the prestigious AA Two Rosettes and Michelin: ” Bib Gourmand” awards.

www.terreaterre.co.uk




IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR US, YOU STILL CAN!

We are obviously trying to raise as much money as possible for the Red Cross, and the default sponsorship donation goes 50/50 for the Red Cross and towards the costs of the trip (Visas, Food, Internet Cafes, Maps etc). We are budgeting as much as possible but it is still difficult to keep the costs down because we cannot control the majority of our spending which is not on food or any other variable but on things like VISAS (It costs £95 for Iranian VISA alone) and maps and unexpected repairs such as my front pannier rack which has given way. Any excess sponsorship cost covering money will go to the Red Cross once we have finished the trip if there is any too.
If you would still like to sponsor us you can by:

Emailing me the amount you have sponsored us, your name, and the amount you want to go to the Red Cross and amount you want to put towards covering the costs of the trip, if any.
The bank account I have set up for the sponsorship money is:

Nationwide
Mr Mohan Everett
account no: 72433983
sort code: 07 00 30

You can pay money into that bank account via phone banking, online banking, cash (in bank) or by cheque.
I'm set up with online banking and will be basing my budgets and checking balance/transferring money with it throughout the whole trip, whenever I'm near a computer.

You can also pay via Paypal to:
Moohan13@gmail.com

Thankyou!

Blog update:
We forgot to say in the last update, that when we passed through Monza, Italy, my front pannier rack broke once again... We were looking for a bike shop asking people if they could speak English and if they did where a bike shop was, when a man jumped out on us and said he would lead us to a good bike shop. We followed him happily and he showed us to a bike shop and chatted to us while the mechanic fixed my rack.
He explained that he was a journalist and asked us a few questions about the trip. The mechanic then brought out my front rack bent back as if it were new and said it was free.
We then followed the journalist (Federico) to his local office where we got a quick pic taken.
He has published an article in the paper "ilCittadino" which will be in the paper tomorrow. It is also online here
http://www.ilcittadinomb.it/stories/Viaggi&Turismo/92319_monza_tra_brighton_e_laustralia_avventura_in_bici_di_finn_e_mohan/

Sadly, neither Finn or me can speak Italian so we cant read it, we can just look at the pic!

We are now in our hostel in Rimini, chilling out after sleeping on the beach last night, as we are waiting for a parcel which has been sent by our people in England to us to this hostel, with a few bits like a new MP3 player as Mohans has packed in. The package hadnt arrived yet so we said we would come back tomorrow to save our night in Rimini. And went and slept on the beach, which Mohan found to be quite nice and comfortable due to his Snugpak sleeping bag, but Finn found a bit cold. We both woke and got up at 6ish to a lovely sunrise coming over the sea (as we are on the east coast) and got up and did a few press ups and sit ups followed by 10 boiled eggs for breakfast. Top stuff!

We have both just showered, shaven, cut nails, changed clothes, cleaned ears and are feeling fresher than ever!

...and about the front pannier rack - whilst cycling from country to country to country you wont believe the amount of stuff you see at the side of the road. Mohan slowly gathered more suitable strong, thin, metals poles as he cycled over the last few days, which he has now cable tied to the front rack in the points which have most tension on them and have previously bent, so now it is slightly reinforced and doesnt fly around so much every time I cycle over a fag butt! woo! Fingers crossed it will last to Australia! We have dot to dotted bicycle shops since it first bent and not one has sold front racks, only back ones! I could order one online and get it sent to a retention centre or hostel or something but I think the bodget will hold out and if it doesnt then i reckon we can re-bodget job it til australia.

n.b.
I (Mohan) got bitten by a mosquitio last night which must have been the size of a pigion because my eyebrown had swollen to a stupid size and was itching like mad, but has now reduced a bit thanks to some lovely salty sea water.
Mozzies have been a big issue on this trip, we try and lob our stuff in the tent as fast as we can every night (which is difficult because we have 5 pannier bags each and 2 bikes all of which gets put in the tent too.) so it gives lots of mozzies the chance to jump in and feast on us all night, and we are trying to go easy on the DEET (strong instect repellent) and save it for Asia where the massive infestations of Malaria ridden mozzies are (yes we are taking anti-malaria tablets too, but mosquitio bites still arent comfortable).
But I guess we should be able to hack itchy skin if we can cycle to Oz..

2 comments:

navigationexpert said...

Here is a wonderful translation of the Italian article, courtesy of google and cut,chop,mix and paste:
Monza between Brighton and Australia
Adventure Cycling in the Finn and Mohan
September 28, 2009Travel & TourismComment
Mohan Finn Cotton and Everett, British cyclists passing in Brianza, along with our reporter Federico Berni Monza -- "Sorry, someone speaks English?". On the one hand, looking amused and a bit 'crowded out of a group of retired Monzesi in Piazza San Paolo, engaged in a heated debate in Monza tight. Second, the freshness and a touch of 'healthy unconsciousness' of two British 18years, Finn Cotton and Everett Mohan, cyclists passing in Brianza and headed southeast. Venice, Rimini, Brindisi, Greece, Turkey, Asia, Australia. Cycling.

It seems impossible, yet the two young Englishmen, in little more than twenty days, the street have already done. On 3rd September from Brighton, their city, a famous seaside resort overlooking the English Channel, having run a few miles to the port, and embarked for France. Then, I climbed into the saddle and have ground kilometers across the country Transalpine and Switzerland, then on to Italy through the pass Lombard Zenna.

Last Thursday, their bikes weighed down with bags, luggage, tent camping and a box of pasta cheap, made their appearance at Monza, where they had to stop for a little unexpected at one of their means.
"We have a full year - they said the two boys - we decided to spend it this way before starting university studies." Sure, that's good, that closed in some pubs. The prospect of autumn approaching, perhaps living in the highlands Turks and Iranians, does not seem daunted: 'It's much worse the heat, to pedal, however, we aim to arrive in India as soon as possible. "

Their experience has also struck a journalist from the 'Northern Star', the local newspaper in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, who has collected some statements of Mohan's mother, heard Everett: "They are both boys to the brave and curious world, I pray that they risk nothing and did not happen, but I think they are offering a good example for many teenagers.

For the record, the little fault of the bike Mohan has been solved with the help of a dealer-mechanical bike via Cavallotti, at Monza. After a photo and a small exchange of greetings to the editor of "The Citizen", the two are back on the saddle towards Concorezzo, Vimercate, Trezzo, Bergamo. The route also passes to Australia from there. Mohan and Finn, have opened a travel blog (through which you can also make a contribution or offer itself as a sponsor), available at www.cycle2australia.blogspot.com.
Federico Berni
.

Freelance Hair Stylist said...

Hi Mohan & Finn, am enjoying you guys blog and reading of your adventures along the way!

Italy is one of my favourite european contries but I have never travelled around like you - only car or train. I hope you are managing to savour some of the scenery though it must be tough if you are cycling a lot.

Buon Viaggio..... Kevin